Work'n Men

Warm weather means projects. Although, it seems like they never end with us. Chad decided to build a shed in the backyard under the deck. He whipped it out one Saturday with the help of 'Carsen the Builder.' I am proud to say I participated in the project by painting a small amount of trim around the door!

I'm Back.

I've been slacking on my blog...but I am back, and needed something fresh. I have new things to post, but I have family in town, a neighborhood yard sale to de-junk for, and a RS lesson to prepare for. Sunday evening I plan on updating my blog with all the exciting happenings....till then, you will just have to enjoy my new look....

About Us...

1. Where did you meet? Chad and I met at Ricks College my freshman year. Oh, who am I kidding; my first semester. We had a Book of Mormon class together (I know, can you get more typical Mormon than that?) The first time we ever 'officially' met was one afternoon I was headed to my cousin Jill’s apartment and passed Chad and his friend Jordan playing football in the courtyard. He came over and said, “Hey, you’re in my Book of Mormon class.” I said, “I am?” Then I quickly covered for myself (didn’t want to make him feel bad that I hadn't noticed him) and quickly said, “I would’ve remembered you.” We chatted a bit and said we’d see each other in class the following week. Come to find out he had forgotten my name by Monday morning, and had to look off my scriptures to help remind him....

Chad's side of the story is that he noticed me in Book of Mormon class because I was always late and I would strut in. (please) The class was at 10:00 and it was his first class of the day (so of course he was on time)....some of us had to come from across campus because we've been in class since 8 a.m.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? I thought, “Very nice..." I remember thinking he was tall (in comparison to me) and he looked buff and tough.

3. Do you remember what he was wearing? Jeans I'm sure….All I remember is that he had a ball cap on. He had me with the hat!

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? We actually went quite a while without kissing. We went for a walk one evening in the exciting town of Rexburg (after about a month of dating) and he said something to the effect that I will never kiss him. How can I let a comment like that go by. Of course he received a kiss. What’s funny is where we had our first kiss was really close to where we had our first apartment.
5. How did he ask you out? (Heee…Heee….) I actually asked him. A bunch of my roommates and others were headed to Yellowstone the coming Saturday. After Book of Mormon one day (this would be the week after we met for the first time) I told him a bunch of us were headed to Yellowstone and asked if he wanted to come. It was a great first date! (We almost got attacked by Buffalo, freezing, snowing and cold, and he also learned I was 18.) I remember his response, “I have an 18-year-old sister!")
6. Where did you go for your first date? Yellowstone. He had to get back because he had another date that night....with twins. (No, he didn't take both of them). He didn't rub it in, but somehow it came up.

7. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? Hmmm….maybe a month. Then we had “the talk” where we said we should date other people. That never happened.

8. Has this person ever proposed to you? Yes. March 10, 2001. We went to Jackson Hole for the day with our good friends (remember this Jordan and Keri). It was freezing cold and there was still snow on the ground. I think I was being a bit ‘difficult’. Jordan and Keri ‘had to go somewhere’ so Chad and I were alone in a park on some swings….It was the perfect setting, and of course he said all the appropriate pre-proposal things and then asked the big question. Jordan and Keri showed up a bit later with flowers. When he asked my Dad for permission my Dad said to him, "I hope you know she's a spoiled little shi!." (It's okay. It didn't scare him away. We laugh about it now.)

9. Do you and this person have kids together? Yes. Carsen=3, Myka=1 With each new day I am feeling more and more content to be done!

10. Have you ever broken the law together? Depends. Does sitting in somebody else's seat at Jazz games count as breaking the law? When we were in college we would come to Utah all the time to go to Jazz games. We would buy the cheap tickets and then sit down low....we would get kicked out time and again. I HATED it...but Chad was insistent we do it.

11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person? First time I saw him! Solidified it even more on our first date!

12. Do you get along with this person ex's? Ex’s. I’m the only girl he's ever kissed. There are no girls in the past! (Yea right.)

13. What's the most expensive thing this person has given you? Mandy, I have to agree with you on this one and say Kids. They are quite expensive…but of course they are worth it.

14. What is the one thing this person does that gets on your nerves? Well now...let's see....He doesn’t put the dishes in the dishwasher, or does put them in the dishwasher and loads the pans in there too.

15. What is the one thing you do that gets on his nerves? I'm sure there's quite a few things, but to pick out just one would probably be when I sigh. (I’m a sigh-er). When I get frustrated I do the ‘ole sigh.

16. Where do you see each other in 15 years from now? Who really knows. We never imagined we’d be where we are at this point in life. Hopefully we’re living somewhere relatively warm and closer to family…Honestly, I love where we are right now in life and wouldn't want to change a thing!

Okay everyone out there reading this....It's your turn to reflect on the past! I can't wait to read all about it....Now get going!

She's a Girl.

(This is Myka's new face...She breathes in through her nose and scrunches up her face....She will do it on command. I'm not sure what she's doing??)

Besides the high-pitched scream, Myka truly is a little girl. She loves baby dolls, stuffed animals, and hyperventilates at the sight of anything that resembles either one. (Alive or stuffed). She received this little doll for her birthday, and loves it to pieces..She is constantly kissing and hugging her baby doll.

Batter Up.

Carsen started T-Ball on Monday. I think there were more parents on the field than kids. It was cute, but chaotic. There were kids running after the ball they had just hit, or running to the sidelines to high-five their parents. That's a group of three-year-olds for ya!

I think Carsen was most excited about the new shirt. They are the JAXX. (I wonder if the double 'x's stands for XXL? Why don't they make kids shirts their size? It was, and still is huge! I have washed and dried it..but it's still down to his knees). He also wore the hat for 2-days straight. Oh, and of course he wore the shirt as well....To bed too.

I will take more pictures next time. I had the fun task of trying to hold Myka, which is next to impossible. Hopefully these games will warm up a bit so she can play on the grass.

Baby Kanyon

Congrats to my brother Kye and his wife Kelly on the arrival of their babe-a-licious little boy Kanyon! (Look at those long legs and arms! He's their child, that's for sure!) I can't wait to hold him, and hopefully he doesn't get too big before I make it to Arizona!! (He'll probably be taller than I am by the time he's 3-years-old!) Love you guys!

Birthday Boy!

BIG 29!!!

After my last post I'm sure everyone's thinking, "Well, of course he deserves a getaway--it's his Birthday." You're probably right...maybe I was a little too harsh......That was written in the heat-of-the moment. (Although, my birthdays are never spent on a "girls only getaway"...An August birthday usually means a family reunion or trip to Lake Powell.)

Happy Birthday to my sweetie Chadly! I love you (despite your love for golf)! I hope your day is filled with sunshine, food and golf (your favorites). And later kisses from your family. Your little kids miss you and think you're the best daddy in the world! (I must agree.) Happy Day to the cutest man in the world! (You're getting so big!)

10 Fun Facts about Chad
1. Was raised on a Dairy Farm in Idaho
2. Started driving a tractor at the tender age of 5
3. Saw the ocean for the first time on Honeymoon!
4. Received a 4.0 from BYU (that whole summer semester he took Golf!)
5. Won a brand new car in a drawing!
6. Worlds craziest sleeper. (Talks, walks, does back flips off the bed!)
7. Flew for the first time when he went on his mission (all the way to Arizona!)
8. Eats a bowl of popcorn almost every night (have I found my match!)
9. Always negotiates for the best deal--and usually gets his way.
10. Married an 18-year-old girl! (Oh yea, that was me!)

Golfing.

It's my favorite time of year--the start of golf season! To "jump start" the season, Chad heads off (with 3 other buddies) to St. George for the rest of the weekend. I dropped him off this morning at 8:30 a.m. so they could drive to St. George and make their 2:00 Tee-Time....Which is followed by 2 more days of rigorous golfing and eating... Tomorrow includes another 36 holes of golf. (Not joking). And then Saturday 18 and another 18 (if they feel like it) when they get to Fillmore on their drive home.

All the while I am left at home (on a fabulous weekend) with two beautiful, energetic, obnoxious, exhausting, whining, messy children. For three straight days...without any spousal support. Yes, like I said...this is my absolute favorite time of year. I am so glad golf season is here again! (Am I a bad wife?)

Sunny St. George...and biting Ants!

We headed to St. George Thursday afternoon to meet up with my parents for some 4-wheeling and good 'ole fashioned sunshine. Carsen was so excited to see his Pa and Gigi. (I think they were a little excited to see their two grandkids as well.)

The weather was fabulous and the company was even better. We stayed at a condo that was right by the four-wheeling trail where we headed out for a couple of hours each afternoon. Of course the men were able to slide in some early morning golf...Each evening we ate like Kings and driving home from the trip I swore I was finished eating for the rest of my life. (At least until the next meal came rolling around.)

We asked Carsen what his favorite part about St. George was and he said, "Actually, the brownies." (My parents made brownies and I think he single-handedly ate 75% of them.) He also loved being out four-wheeling and kept asking when we were going to go again. We had to convince him we were dirty enough for one day. I must say that Myka was the best of all. She fell asleep both days!

Funny little story. While we were unloading the four-wheelers from the trailer Carsen was playing on an ant farm. He is only 3, so he doesn't know all the facts of life and that there are good ants and bad ants. He has seen the ants around our house, which are the size of a little crumb...these were much larger and he was very intrigued. He made a game out of stomping on their ant farm. (I know, that's not good. But I do think he may have learned his lesson.)

Minutes later Carsen has climbed up onto the four-wheeler and lets out a scream. We thought he had been burnt by the hot seat. We got him down and he was still crying. We asked him what was wrong and he kept tugging at his bum. Oh boy. We pulled down his pants (and underwear) and there hanging out in the bottom of his undies was a large ant. He had been bit on the bum bum by an ant!

Carsen loved this CAT. He put on his "man" voice and went to work.

There is nothing more fun than recreating with my family!

Enjoying a little picnic during our ATV excursion.

Carsen trying to find some more ants to bite his little bum!

Gigi and Pa with the kiddos.

Birthday Girl!

Myka turns 1 today! We love our little Princess Mooka. What a funny little girl who has brought so much laughter (and disaster) into our home! (We spent the weekend in St. George, so we haven't done the birthday cake mess yet. We plan on celebrating that portion for Family Home Evening tomorrow night...that way I can have an activity of cleaning cake off of everything!)

Why we love our Myka:

• She does not like anything to be put on her head. I have the most adorable little clips and headbands that she instantly rips or pulls out of her hair the minute I clip it in. There are times (when she really needs to have one in) that I will distract her and ever-so-carefully clip it in. What a waste of money.
  
• The food on her tray is not there to stay. Myka will put a couple of pieces of food in her mouth, but then she starts throwing it overboard. This is fine (to a point) when we are home...but when we eat out it's quite humiliating. The majority of the food ends up beneath her (and all over her). When she's finished...she's finished, and she makes sure we know. She is by far the messiest eater I have ever seen! (And of course she rips the bibs right off. She has even discovered how to get the ones off that you put over the head). Baby food is a joke. She swats at our hands when we try to feed her, which leads to even more messes.
  
• She LOVES her "pinkie" (or binkie). She also likes to share it with others.
  
• Myka is the best little snuggler (and kisser as you can see from the previous post). Her snuggles only last about 20 seconds, but they are so precious! Whenever we talk about kisses she makes a smacking noise and heads over for some kisses!
  
• Her favorite toys are Carsen's. She has an entire room full of "girlie" Myka toys, but she always heads into Carsen's room where she loves to play with his work-bench and his action figures.....Whenever she finds a car she is pushing it all over the floor.
  
• Her favorite game is Peek-a-boo.
• She puts the phone (or anything of that shape) up to her ear and points the remote control at the TV (I'm not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing!)
  
• She loves to climb up the stairs and thinks it is a game. She will peek around the corner to see if we are watching and then she gets excited and begins her climb. She has just discovered how to come back down, which still makes me very nervous.
  
• She absolutely HATES having her hair washed and stands up and clutches to the side of the bath tub. It makes hair-washing a very difficult task...more water ends up on the floor than on her head. She also dislikes lotion rub-downs and the blow-drier.
  
• Waves hi/bye whenever we say the words
• Has the absolute loudest squeal ever heard! It's ear-piercing....and usually produces instant results of whatever it is she is wanting.
• Myka has the cutest little smile and big blue eyes!
  

We love our Myka!